News Car clocking campaign set in motion at party conferences CTSI launched a new campaign at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last month, demanding a change in the law on car clocking. Chief executive Leon Livermore issued a letter to the Department for Transport (DfT) calling for restrictive measures to halt the increase in car clocking, following the governments response to odometer adjustment fraud. Altering the mileage of a vehicle is not an offence, but selling clocked vehicles without disclosing the alteration is illegal. Reducing a vehicles true mileage can raise its sale price, and the technique can also be used by consumers to avoid mileage penalty fees in car-finance agreements. According to HPI, one in 16 vehicles is predicted to have had its odometer adjusted. In the letter to DfT minster John Hayes, Livermore highlighted the detrimental effects that clocking has on trading standards. Those providing mileage-correction services can do so with impunity, despite the very limited occasions when the practice is actually justified. This unfettered ability to reduce mileages places significant resource and evidential burdens on trading standards officers, who have to investigate and take action. CTSI wants the legitimate changing of a vehicles mileage to be restricted to the manufacturer, and for it to become an offence for anyone other than the manufacturer to change the mileage. It wouldalso like manufacturers to build anti-tamper mechanisms into their vehicles or supply backup data (cloud databases) to prevent third-party tampering. In September last year, the government commissioned a consultation paper on roadworthiness testing in tractors, within which several concerns were raised about clocking in vehicles generally. The government issued a non-committal response to the clocking issue, simply stating that it would consider further what measures, if any, areneeded. The response has drawn criticism from various consumer rights groups and car trade businesses for failing to seriously address the issue. As well as attending the Conservative Party Conference, CTSI ensured trading standards was represented at the recent Labour Party and SNP conferences. Social work survey open An inquiry into allegations of food-safety breaches at 2 Sisters Food Group has been launched by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, after recent reports of malpractice at the poultry plant. The short inquiry will examine the role and performance of the regulatory and accreditation bodies in maintaining food standards and safety. It will also look into the potential ramifications of the allegations made against 2 Sisters for the poultry sector and the wider food chain. Evidence will be sought from: the chief executive and owner of 2 Sisters Food Group, Ranjit Singh Boparan; the Food Standards Agency; Assured Food Standards; and the British Poultry Council. Evidence can be submitted through the 2 Sisters and Standards in Poultry Processing inquiry page. Responses are invited to a survey to find out which research areas ought to be prioritised to further improve social work in England. The survey will be open until January 2018 and the results of the priority setting partnership will be released later next year. ISToCk.Com / TSujI EFRA Committee to investigate 2 Sisters food-safety allegations New funding in Scotland to block unwanted callers More than 75,000 has been pledged by the Scottish government to curb the threat of nuisance and scam callers in Scotland. The new funding will enable call-blocking technology to be installedin peoples homes, and will be distributed by Trading Standards Scotland. The late Brian Smith who was CTSIs lead officer for crime and disorder, and senior trading standards officer for Angus Council was instrumental in a three-authority investigation into nuisance calls, which found that 40 per cent of those made to elderly and vulnerable people are unsolicited. Smith advocated the use of call-blocking technology, to reduce the emotional and financial harm faced by some of the most vulnerable in society. In September this year, the Scottish government published its action plan to tackle nuisance and scam callers, and announced 50,000 for the first batch of call blockers. This latest funding will bring the total number of vulnerable people that the scheme has protected from unwanted calls to more than 1,200. Paul Wheelhouse, Scottish minister for business, innovation and energy, said: Since establishing the Nuisance Calls Commission last year, we have seen the situation improve in Scotland but we can and must do more. This additional funding will ensure that some of Scotlands most vulnerable citizens are now protected from the threat of scam callers. Trading Standards Scotland will distribute the new call blockers, and will work closely with local authorities and third-sector organisations to ensure the units go where they are needed most. Wheelhouse continued: The power to legislate in this area is reserved to the UK government. The Scottish government will continue to press UK ministers to do more to stop nuisance calls, including exploring a model that opts people out of unwanted calls automatically and creating greater powers to prosecute those companies that are found to be responsible.